Handout for GEC 007 MIDTERM 1st Semester, S.Y.

2019-2020
(Science, Technology, and Society)
Lesson 1 – Human Flourishing: The Four Causes:
• The human person is both the bearer and • Martin Heidegger used the metaphor of a
beneficiary of science and technology, and he silver chalice to present The Four Causes.
flourishes and finds meaning in the world he 1. Causa Materialis – the
builds. matter/material used to produce the
Martin Heidegger – a German philosopher who was object (the silver as a raw material).
a part of the Continental tradition of philosophy. He 2. Causa Formalis – the
focused on Ontology, or the study of ‘being,’ or logos/form/shape the object assumes
dasein in German. upon creation (the shape of the
chalice).
The Essence of Technology 3. Causa Efficiens – the person,
• Science and technology are responsible for process, or idea that brought upon the
the ways of society is continuously being change (the silversmith).
modernized. 4. Causa Finalis – “Why the object was
• The omnipresence of science and technology made in the first place?” The final
must not eclipse the basic tenets of ethics and effect of the object created (the
morality. chalice being used for the sacrificial
• It should allow the human person to flourish rite).
alongside scientific progress and Technology as a Way of Revealing
technological development. • According to Heidegger, the “true” can only
Under Heidegger’s “The Question Concerning be pursued through the “correct.” Simply put,
Technology,” there are two definitions of what is correct leads to what is true.
technology: Technology is a way of revealing – a mode of
1. Instrumental – “Technology is a means to “bringing forth.”
an end.” Technology is not an end in itself,
but a means to an end. Technology is a tool Martin Heidegger’s Ancient Greek Concepts
available to people that desire to make an (technology is a poiesis that reveals the truth):
impact to society. All in all, technology is an 1. Aletheia – unhiddenness, unclosedneds,
instrument aimed at getting things done. truth or disclosure.
2. Anthropological – “Technology is a human 2. Poiesis – bringing forth. The act of bringing
activity.” To achieve an end, and to produce something out of concealment. By bringing
and use a means to an end is, by itself, a out of concealment, the truth of such thing is
human activity. The production and revealed.
invention of technological equipment, tools, • For Heidegger, technology is a form of
machines, devices, etc., and the functions and Poeisis – a way of revealing that
purpose these serve are what is defining unconceals aletheia or the truth.
technology. 3. Techne – root word of technology, meaning
• Both definitions are correct but are lacking skill, art, or craft. Encompasses knowledge
since it does not tackle the essence of and understanding not only of the craft, but
technology. “Whenever there is an effect, also of other acts of the mind.
there is a causality.”
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Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila © 2019 | NOT FOR SALE
Handout for GEC 007 MIDTERM 1st Semester, S.Y. 2019-2020
(Science, Technology, and Society)
Does Modern Technology Bring Forth or Types of Virtue:
Challenge Forth? 1. Intellectual – owes its birth and growth to
• Under Heidegger’s concept of the Standing teaching (for which reason it requires
Reserve, it becomes clear that technology is experience, education and time).
not directly a poiesis, but as challenging forth 2. Moral – comes about as a result of habitual
(it makes people think how to do things practice. As example, moral virtues are
faster, more effectively, and with less effort). courage, patience, etc.
• Standing Reserve prompts people into John Stuart Mill – “The Greatest Happiness
dominating and enframing the natural Principle” – based on Jeremy Bentham’s Felicific
resources of the planet. Calculus. It posits that if an action benefits the
Enframing as Modern Technology’s Way of greatest number of people, it is deemed ethical. There
Revealing is no need to attain the happiness of everyone as
In the way of enframing (a way of ordering nature to people have different sources of happiness.
better manipulate it), there are two ways of looking
at the world: Schools of Thought which Aim the Good and
1. Calculative Thinking – humans desire to put Happy Life:
an order to nature to better understand and 1. Materialism – only material things could
control it. bring happiness. No need to posit immaterial
2. Meditative Thinking – humans allow nature things (abstract ideas) as a source of purpose.
to reveal itself to them without the use of The Atomists like Democritus and Leucippus
force or violence. proposed that the world is made up of and is
• Humans have the constant desire for security, controlled by tiny, indivisible units called
people put all of nature as a Standing Reserve – atomos, or seeds.
always ready for exploitation. 2. Hedonism – the end goal of life is in
The Dangers of Technology acquiring pleasure. Life is about obtaining
• The dangers lie on how people let themselves and indulging in pleasure as life is limited.
be consumed by technology. Their mantra is “eat, drink, and be merry –
for tomorrow we die.”
Lesson 2 – The Good Life: 3. Stoicism – to generate happiness, one must
Eudaimonia – literally “good spirited,” a term learn to distance himself and be apathetic
coined by Aristotle, based on his Nichomachean (came from the word apatheia, or
Ethics, to describe the pinnacle happiness attainable indifference). Happiness can only be attained
to humans. From the Greek words eu, meaning in the careful practice of apathy. There are
“good” and daimon, meaning “spirit.” things outside of our control (like other
Arete – excellence or virtue. peoples’ feelings) and the sooner we realize
Happiness – the ultimate end of human action. It this, the happier we become.
comes from living a life of virtue (arete), a life of 4. Theism – people find happiness if they use
excellence. God as the fulcrum of their lives (putting God
in the center of their lives). People base their
life goals on beliefs that is hinged on some
form of supernatural reality called Heaven.
2
Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila © 2019 | NOT FOR SALE
Handout for GEC 007 MIDTERM 1st Semester, S.Y. 2019-2020
(Science, Technology, and Society)
The ultimate basis of happiness is the to get rich countries to “catch down” to more
communion with God. appropriate level of development.
5. Humanism – this espouses the freedom of USA Cuba
man to carve his own destiny and to legislate Life Expectancy 79 years 78 years
his own laws, free from the shackles of God GDP per capita $53,000 $6,000
that monitors and controls. Man is literally Global Hectare 8 hectares 1.9 hectares
the captain of his own ship. consumption

Lesson 3 – Human Flourishing in Progress and • Cuba has achieved a relatively same
De-Development development as the USA (except GDP per
“Forget ‘developing’ poor countries, it’s time to ‘de- capita), therefore as Edward said, rich
develop’ rich countries” by Jason Hickel: countries should “catch down.”
• Growth and development for the past 70
years are not working. Since 1980, the global Lesson 4 – When Technology and Humanity
economy has grown by 380%, but the Crosses
number of people living in poverty on less Technology – came from the Greek words techne
than $5/day has increased by more than 1.1 (art) and logos (words). Means a discourse on
billion. “Trickle-down economy” is (applied) arts. During the 17th Century, it shifted its
ineffective. focus from the arts to concepts of machines and tools.
• Orthodox economists insist that all that is • Technology keeps on progressing due to not
needed is more growth. More progressive only the changing times and environment, but
types tell us that we need to shift some of the also to the ever-progressing mind of
yields of growth from the richer segments of mankind.
the population to the poorer ones. Neither are
adequate. People are overshooting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights –
planet’s biocapacity by more than 50% each proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on
year (July 29, 2019 is the World’s Overshoot December 10, 1948 as the global standard of
Day, earliest in history). Overshoot refers to fundamental rights for human recognition and
the rate of consumption by humanity has protection. It has 30 Articles. (Article 4 – provides a
exceeded the Earth’s natural capacity to ban on slavery or servitude)
regenerate.
• The planet has enough resources for each Types of Technology We Commonly Use Today:
person to consume 1.8 global hectares 1. Television
annually (global hectares is a standardized 2. Mobile Phones
unit that measures resource use and 3. Laptops, Computers
waste). United States and Canada consumes
Benefits of Using Technology:
about 8 hectares/person, Europeans consume
1. Access to information
4.7 hectares/person.
2. Tool for communication
• According Economist Peter Edward, instead
of pushing poorer countries to “catch up”
with rich ones, we should be thinking of ways
3
Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila © 2019 | NOT FOR SALE
Handout for GEC 007 MIDTERM 1st Semester, S.Y. 2019-2020
(Science, Technology, and Society)
Detriments of Using Technology: collectively called as GNR) are becoming too
1. Leads to an unhealthy lifestyle powerful that they can potentially bring about
2. Risks of disinformation (due to fake news) new classes of accidents, threats, and abuses.
• These dangers are even more pressing as it
Robots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) does not require large facilities or even rare
Robots – an actuated mechanism programmable in raw materials – knowledge alone can be
two or more axes with a degree of autonomy, moving harmful to humans.
within its environment, to perform intended tasks. • The GNR pose much greater threats than
Types of Robots: previous technological development.
1. Service Robot – performs useful tasks for • Nanobots – the ability of nanobots to
humans or equipment. replicate could quickly get out of control –
2. Personal Service Robot – used for non- leading to a “gray goo.”
commercial tasks by ordinary people like • Overdependence on machines – if
automated wheelchairs. machines are given the capacity on their own
3. Professional Service Robot – for (sentiency), it will be impossible to predict
professional use or commercial tasks like how they might behave in the future – the fate
surgery robots. of mankind would be at the mercy of
machines.
Benefits of Using Robots: • Rapid increase of computer power –
1. Eases the workload of humans computers will eventually become more
2. Can perform repetitive tasks intelligent than humans.

Detriments of Using Robots: Murphy’s Law – “Anything that can go wrong,

1. Sentiency of robots – focus on Artificial will go wrong.”
Intelligence (What if robots will have
emotions)
2. Unemployment – robots will take the place of
humans in the labor force

Lesson 5 – Why the Future Does Not Need Us?

• Imagining a future without humans is
synonymous to the end of the world.
• A dystopian society void of human presence
is the subject of many works in literature and
film.
William Nelson Joy – an American computer
scientist and the chief scientist of Sun Microsystems.
• Wrote an article for Wired Magazine entitled
“Why the future does not need us?”
• 21st century technologies (genetic
engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics,
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Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila © 2019 | NOT FOR SALE